Do we get it right. I’ve no idea though no doubt people cleverer than me have written a book about it or more like three. Still it is that we focus on: the eyes and then the face when first we say hello, trying to gauge the stranger’s sense of life. Is he one of us or someone strange, warm, benevolent or simply dangerous. What secret plans does his manner coat, or is he really open to the new. Is he reaching out to ,or sizing up, the person that he sees, looking at you

Whats his game, or is there no game at all. Full of love or spinning for advantage. We’ve made our mind up before we even know. Ascribing reason to instincts judgement. Are they a gem or from some warring tribe. Lovely of spirit or scarred by histories we cannot measure.

Are those hard eyes full of certainties, bordering on madness or just challenge. You know the ones: he thinks he’s found some truth or wants what you might have or just admiration without regard to doubts or what you’ve done. Either way you cling to what you know: understanding is gentle and judgment often harsh

Sometimes we seem lonely in a crowd, then drowning in attention we don’t seek: those prying eyes: what do they know?

So we move on wary despite our dreams hoping for some sweet world were only the gentle dwell, picnicking in sunshine in the park while fearless deer eat titbits from our palms. Perhaps strutting on some walkway of our choice, feeding off applause our beauty brings, and basking in the admiration that fails to see, the effort that it takes just to create, the image that they take as being simply me. Fame has its curse, we all know that, though living obscurely I can only guess the cost. Being judged by many not the few, searching for privacy far from the lensman’s eye.

So we forge on, hope kept alive by dreams, that somewhere in this sea of lives we meet the gaze that feels something like a home, accepting us as part of them and where they go. That common dream brings confidence to our plans and making more of us than judgements ever do.

I’m sure you have met people that you immediately liked or else were particularly wary of. You sense a kinship or an unexplainable foreboding. Reincarnation? I’m not necessarily pushing that school of thought…just sayin….

Sometimes its like you are reading my mind! I have done this (searched peoples faces for their true nature and meaning) and to be honest, I still do. Sometimes I find that immediate affinity and if its there, it always remains. What I really like is to be surprised…by someone who initially presents as a closed book or difficult to gauge and then with perseverance you discover that they were kindred in spirit all along…..

I know exactly what you mean! I paint ‘faces’ from my mind. The images of the eyes and the mouth always amaze me as they appear on the canvas before my eyes. I can’t draw them first, so I can’t say they are imagination…

I agree with My Inner Chick …”we meet the gaze that feels something like a home.” – Awesome!

I admire people who are good judges of character, who can look beyond the surface and sense the type of person with whom they are dealing. I’m not one of those people. My “default” reaction to any person is to trust them and think the best. While I am sometimes disappointed, I’d rather that then close myself off and be skeptical. I guess the world needs both types of people…

Newborn babies zone in on the eyes and face. There is lots of research on how important the face is to a baby’s wellbeing. There is also lots of research on how people with mental illness cannot focus for long on someone else’s face.

Dogs on the other hand develop the sense of smell first and that’s why they will always sniff something/someone new first. They are led by their noses their whole life.

love this topic. I do this often, sometimes without realizing it. 🙂 it makes me wonder what my face says to other people when I meet them. Don’t you wonder what people really think upon first impressions? As good as our intentions are, we may come off entirely different than that. Great post my friend ♥